J'adore Dior (and this dress)

Dress: CAbi (old, but similar here) Sunglasses: (Rayban) Handbag: Dior (old) Shoes: (Kate Spade)

This is my family (my parents and my grandmother) and the little dancer herself!!  

Hi there dearest reader! I hope your weekend was wonderful- mine sure was! It was my daughter's very first dance recital on Saturday and it was so fun! I grew up  dancing and there is something so...touching maybe?...about being in what is a very familiar environment to me with the stage and the music and sharing it with her. I sort of sobbed my way through it, like I do with most of the events involving her.  As a mother, your heart is filled to bursting when your child is happy and for me, that equates to embarrassing tears at least once a week! We went to The Ranch in Anaheim for dinner later that night -- anyone tried that? I had been before with clients but on Saturday we took my parents and grandmother too and it's really good. I am a picky picky eater and I dont eat red meat and even I liked it (mostly due to a nice bowl of Butternut Squash soup and a Milky Way ice cream dessert-yee yum!) 

So my dress... It's from CAbi last season and I love it. I adore the ease and the look of wrap dresses but not the wrap. I inevitably fuss with the tie all day long.  I am a pretty modest person and even showing a little cleavage is out of my comfort zone but a dress that looks like a wrap but isn't? Yes, please! This is made out of really soft material that feels like cashmere and is so cozy!  And my bag... Okay, confession time. I really love Gucci but Dior is a close second.  I could write posts and posts about the waiting lists I have been on for these crazy purses. I think investing in good handbags is totally worth it, not only because you really can use them for years (if you choose the right design) but it ends up saving money (kind of) if you avoid the interim, trendy type bags and focus on really cultivating your style.  You won't buy things that will just sit in your closet after a few months, never again to see the light of day!  Actually, I can pretty much justify any purchase. These are just things I tell myself. I also take more expensive bags and divide them by how many years I think I will keep them (20 at least) and then figure out how much it is a month. When I do this, it seems totally, totally reasonable. Cheap even!! I have even been known to share this philosophy with my husband, who does NOT agree that it is fiscally responsible to buy purses. Men! Okay, you. Happy, happy day wishes and thank you for stopping by! Xx Michelle 🍭

Lace in the Workplace

Hi you! I had an epiphany last weekend, as I was sorting through my packed closet-- not every trend is for me. I understand my own personal style, but I am still susceptible to following whatever the trend du jour happens to be.  Does anyone else do this? I looked at my closet over the weekend and found multiple items (tags still attached) that were impulse buys because they looked so good on someone else.  And I just know I am never going to wear them.  I want to try really hard to simply incorporate into my existing style a little bit of the trends I like.   I see beautiful colorful prints and bright patterns on everyone-- not really me (but maybe a bright pair of earrings is) .  I see the boho dresses on everyone- not really me (but maybe a fringy pair of boots or bag is).  I wish I was more adventurous in my style but I am just not.  I am more of a classic, simple dresser, especially at work.  Which brings me to this skirt... I actually forgot I had it (if I had a nickel for every time I found something I loved wedged behind something else in my closet!!)  I've had it for a while, but there are similar ones here and here.  Its not really lace, its just a lace pattern and it gives the illusion of lace without showing too much skin.   Pencil skirts just work for me. I like the length and the cut and they are so versatile.  Heels look just as good as a tall pair of riding boots when the weather cooperates.  Mine are from Nordstrom and you can get them here.    

How do you incorporate trends into your wardrobe?  Are you a risk taker?  However you are, I am sure you are beautiful!  Hey all! Its just about the weekend! Yayyyyyy!!! Thank you so much for stopping by! xxoo Michelle

Whispers of Blue 💙











Sometimes I just love the simplicity of a pencil skirt and a blouse.  Not a lot of accessories or fuss-- just simple, sleek and out-the-door I go. I actually consider pencil skirts one of the staples in my wardrobe. In the summer, I can tuck in a button down for the office and when it starts to get cooler, a little cardigan twin set is just perfect. Along those lines, a pencil skirt looks just as cute with some knee-high boots in the fall as it does with strappy sandals or heels in warmer temperatures.  You can get your money's worth out of these guys.  This Zara blouse is just a dream – – it is whisper thin and such a beautiful color. My skirt is from Nordstrom and it's the first time I've tried this line called Halogen. I really like it so far.  And it is super reasonably priced. If you don't have a few pencil skirts in your closet, you should consider investing in a few. 

 I am getting ready to head back to Chicago this weekend for a wedding and I'm having such a hard time deciding what to pack. The forecast calls for thunderstorms, which would make me think to pack warm clothes, except it will be in the 80's, which is just confusing!  In the best circumstances, I am an over-packer but with a wedding and rehearsal dinner and my daughter to worry about, I might just have six suitcases! Even though I've read the articles and seen the YouTube videos about how to pack lightly, I'm just not the kind of person who will bring four articles of clothing and make them work for a week. Are you? Do you like to bring everything you own or pack just the necessities? 

 I hope your week is off to a wonderful start and as always, it means so much that you stopped by. Xx Michelle

An American in OC

 

I am an A.M.E.R.I.C.A.N. Tried and true, red white and blue, the whole bit. I go crazy on the fourth of July with the banners and flags and parties!  I get a little weepy every time (no, really. EVERY TIME) the national anthem is played or I hear a country song about America. Is it patriotism? The deep love for one's country? I don't know but whatever it is, I have it.  I have the deepest respect for this county and what we stand for and the soldiers that have and still are protecting us.

Which brings me (naturally..) to… Ralph Lauren. I have always loved this lifestyle.  The dark leather, the horses, the home in the Hamptons, the green and blue plaid, the summers on a prairie somewhere… All of it. I have always been obsessed with the shoes, the leather bags, Pink Pony, Black Label...you name it folks.  I go into the Ralph Lauren stores or online and just breath in that whole lifestyle.  Although I love a good European designer as much as the next girl, there is something about RL that just remains...American, you know?   Of course, to a large extent, everyone  shows a curated lifestyle, right? No one's life is as perfect as the highlight reel we reveal on our blogs and on Instagram.  I like to just pretend that this doesn't apply to my beloved Ralph Lauren.  If you need me, you can find me in my leather wingback chair, in my perfect wood-paneled library, wearing denim and plaid, sipping my sweet iced tea.

By the way, my shirt (old) and shoes are RL. The shoes are my favorite. I love loafers. I think a high-heeled loafer plus a pantsuit  is just about perfect. And this color. I cant get enough of it.  I think my loafer is sold out but HERE is the boot version-- it has the same details as my loafer (and it would be so perfect for fall!) Hope your Monday is just beautiful! As always, thank you so much for stopping by!  xo Michelle